Related Content

He called on "everyone" to " respect the processand integrity of the ASADA investigation - just as the players have done since this regrettable saga arose".

"For over 12 months, current and former Essendon football players have been the subject of an unprecedented investigation into failures of workplace governance and safety in Australian sport," the statement reads.

Advertisement

"For over 12 months, players have withstood enormous uncertainty, public scrutiny and speculation over their health, their careers, and their reputations.

"But for over 12 months, players have honestly, candidly and transparently cooperated with all authorities involved in multiple investigations.

"You would hope that by now, there might be some level of acknowledgment of the invidious position these young men have been placed in which is higher than publishing names and photos of some of them in a major daily newspaper in a manner which only fuels further speculation and uncertainty."

Earlier on Sunday, former ASADA chief executive Richard Ings said that the release of players' names from ASADA's interim report was an "egregious breach" of the national anti-doping (NAD) scheme confidentiality.

Via Twitter, Ings said that the disclosure of player names comes from "the unredacted version of the interim report widely and stupidly released by ASADA many months ago".

"A very long list of people were likely provided a copy of this report many months ago. Any of them could have passed details," he tweeted.

The "core issue", said Ings, was that the names were put into an ASADA report and "wideley released".

I look forward to ASADA announcing it will be investigating which sports entity leaked this NAD info. It is a major sports compliance breach

"This week the club received information that stage one of the ASADA investigation process has now concluded and stage two, the review stage, will begin.

"Throughout this investigation, confidentiality has been paramount to protect the integrity of this process.

"Unfortunately, at various times this process has been undermined by leaks, mistruths and a lack of ethical and professional behaviour.

"Today the club is particularly disappointed that the Herald Sun would choose to provide confidential information from an incomplete and interim report that could easily and unfairly damage the reputation of our players.''

An AFL spokesman said the league had not been notified by ASADA of any impending action against any AFL players.

"ASADA should be left to conclude its deliberations," Patrick Keane said in a statement on Sunday.

The News Corp reports say 10 current Essendon players have told ASADA's investigators they suspected they had been injected with either muscle-regeneration peptide Thymosin or anti-obesity drug AOD-9604 or both.

Fairfax Media is currently not naming the players involved.

The AFL handed down a series of penalties to Essendon in August 2013 for bringing the league into disrepute over their use of supplements.

Those penalties included a ban from the 2013 finals series, a $2 million fine and a 12-month suspension for coach James Hird.

NRL club Cronulla has also been linked the ASADA probe.

Essendon's AFL season opens on March 21 against North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.